Five Encounters
by ImperfectPerceptions
Summary: Five times Lord Condé kisses the Queen's hand, and one time he doesn't. Mary Stuart/Louis Condé.
1. Throne Room

**A/N:** This will be a six-chapter series of drabbles. Some will be longer, and some shorter. Prompts for this series and future ones are accepted, please feel free to leave them in a review or PM me! :) Would love to hear some ideas!

**Disclaimer:** I wish Reign and its characters belonged to me. But, no.

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><p><strong>1. Throne Room<strong>

The carriage pulled up to the castle gates, with the horses slowly coming to a stop. The Dauphin stepped out first, then he did, following Francis inside to the large ancient castle. They navigated winding hallways, hearing the clanking of the guards' armor and the fanfare announcing the king's arrival echo off the stone walls, until they reached the throne room, where the king ascended to take his seat on the throne.

As a second fanfare was called, Lord Conde made his way to the side of the room along with the other nobles that were in the room. He turned towards the entrance and it was then that he laid eyes on the queen for the very first time. Dressed in a two-tone crimson red gown, she lit up the room with her very presence, shining brighter than the gold of her crown and acting like a magnet to everyone's eyes in the room, including Lord Conde's.

What people have said about the queen has been true, he mused. She was very beautiful, indeed. Mary took her place on her throne next to Francis's side, and the entire room bowed in greeting to them. One by one, they approached the king and queen and kneeled to them, asking for their favor and receiving a nod and a smile in return.

As Conde approached the queen, he knelt before her, but couldn't draw his eyes away from hers, keeping his head up even as he kneeled, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it.

"Your Majesty," he intoned, removing his lips from the soft skin of her hand.

"And who might you be, my lord? You are not a familiar face at court," she replied, drawing back her hand into her lap.

"I am Louis, Prince of Conde, distant cousin of the king Francis," he answered, as he straightened and stood up. "I attended him back to the castle after his life was threatened by some enemies to the throne."

"Well, Lord Conde, I am in your debt and you have my gratitude for your services to the crown. You are a guest of the castle and are free to stay however long you like here."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he replied, moving away from the throne and towards the exit dutifully.

He couldn't help glancing at her again as he walked out of the room, though.


	2. Claude's Return

**A/N:** Sorry this is so late! I had terrible writer's block, but this one is a little lengthier. Sorry to keep you all waiting! Reviews/suggestions are much appreciated! Thank you all for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Reign, sadly. If I did there would be no such thing as a hiatus, and Monde would already be a thing.

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><p>The air was warm, gentle, like a soft embrace from a lover during the summer nights in France. The royals always loved this weather, particularly Catherine, who claimed it was good for her skin, and would find any occasion to host a party outside at night in order to enjoy it: the welcoming of Princess Claude was a perfect excuse to do so.<p>

Francis accompanied Mary outside, making an appearance together as they were so used to doing, but with an air of stiffness between them that only a few noticed – Mary's ladies, Bash, and the Lord Conde. Together, the King and Queen formally walked around and greeted their guests, but it was clear to the trained eye that something was amiss between them.

After having greeted everyone, Mary politely excused herself from Francis's company and began to wander through the party by herself. People were laughing, dancing, and singing all around Mary, merrily drunk on the castle vineyard's finest wine, but it all seemed like a blur of noise to her. She and Francis had been fighting for weeks now; he would make a promise to her and then break it as quickly as it had been made, breaking her heart in the process. This was not the man she married, she thought to herself, and that things had changed so much. How she wished they were young and innocent once more, like the children who laughed and played with each other on the castle grounds that night, holding hands and whirling around until they became tired and fell down giggling. She sighed and turned around, only to let out a small shriek of surprise as she collided straight into another moving body.

"Oh! Lord Conde! I beg your pardon, I didn't see you standing there," she stammered as she began to rearrange her skirts, as they were slightly disheveled.

"No need, Your Majesty. What man wouldn't want to bump right into the lovely queen herself?" he laughed. She smiled warily back.

"No lady accompanying you tonight, my lord? I seem to recall seeing you with a pretty blonde-haired one on the grounds the other day," she asked. He smirked and looked away.

"No, things didn't end up going so well. Guess she wasn't really my type after all, you know?" he replied. "And you, my queen? I could ask the same thing. Where might your king be?" The smile slowly slid off her face.

"He… is carrying out some business. Excuse me. I must pardon myself." She turned to leave, but as she did so, his arm shot out and grabbed her hand.

"Please, forgive me. I did not mean to offend you." She turned around to see a faint twinkle in his dark honey-colored eyes and a half smile on his face. "At least let me make it up to you, my queen." She let go of his hand, smoothed her skirts, and peered at him, deciding to humor him.

"My lord, what could you possibly have that would be of my interest? What's something that I don't have in the castle already?" she asked humorously.

A grin stretched across Lord Conde's face as he lowered his gaze and took her delicate, smooth hand in his worn, work-hardened one and brought it up to his lips to kiss. The contrast of his prickly beard and soft lips on her pale, creamy hand felt like a bolt of lightning had just struck her and resonated through her from head to toe as his eyes flickered up to meet hers.

Still reeling from the sensation, she barely registered Conde's proclamation.

"Your Majesty, would you do me the honor of a dance? Just one, I promise. I wouldn't steal you from your king for too long."

He sounded cheeky, but she thought she almost registered a sense of bashfulness coming from his question - and was that a blush creeping up on his face? It was probably just the wine he drank, she figured. She had drank a few glasses herself during the festivities. Her eyes wandered over to where Francis was standing chatting with Lola and Lord Narcisse, two of the people she could barely stand at the moment. As the three were laughing, Francis met her eyes from across the party, pausing to gaze at her. She broke the gaze and turned her attention fully to Conde, a smile spreading across her face and reaching her eyes for the first time in weeks, making her earth-colored irises glow.

"Why, my lord, it would truly be an honor."

He swept her away in a flurry of laughter and dancing without a second thought.

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><p>Well, how was it? Let me know in the reviews! Like I said before, suggestions are much appreciated (that way I can write faster!)<p> 


	3. Navarre

**A/N:** Here it is! Thanks to TheSecretNovelist for providing the inspiration for this chapter! As always, suggestions are much appreciated. This chapter came out much faster! I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Reign.

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><p><em>"Do you love her?"<em>

Those were the words that echoed in Conde's ear as he poured himself some wine in the throne room. Yet another gathering was taking place inside the castle, this time to welcome Conde's brother, the King of Navarre. As soon as Conde heard the news, he knew this was no friendly visit. He had come for another reason, meeting with Conde just an hour before.

_"Of course not, Antoine. That would be foolish."_

_"Good. Because the plan has changed. Rumors spread quickly, Louis, and I have heard more than a few concerning you and the queen. "_

_"Rumors are just that: rumors. People will say anything these days."_

_"Perhaps. But we can use this to our advantage."_

A voice snapped him back to the present. "Lord Conde? Why must you stand so alone in a corner?" He plastered a smile on his face and turned around to see a figure dressed in a beautiful gilded lace gown.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, tilting her head and pursing her cherry-red mouth, her dangly earrings swinging from side to side. He couldn't help but notice how long and dark her eyelashes were, and how they fluttered when she blinked, like the wings of small butterflies.

"Your Highness, you look rather lovely tonight," he said as he bowed, gently lowering his lips to her hand. She smiled and accepted the compliment graciously. He smiled back, a genuine smile, until his eyes registered some movement across the room. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw his brother standing on the opposite side of the room drinking wine out of a goblet. As they made eye contact, the King of Navarre took a drink, raised his glass towards Conde and smirked, as if making a toast.

_"You are committed to the cause, yes?"_

_"Yes."_

"Lord Conde?" He shook his head trying to clear his brain, turning away from his brother.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I have a lot on my mind tonight," he replied in a clipped tone.

_"Then I need you to do something very important for me, Louis."_

The look on her face clearly fell, the smile slowly dropping off her face. "Oh… I understand. There are certainly more pressing matters than a mere party." His tone softened.

"Do not let me ruin your enjoyment of the evening, my queen. I am but one guest here, there are plenty more who are more lively than me tonight," he said, turning to the side and gazing outside into the night sky.

"_What is it, Antoine?"_

"Perhaps…" She turned and looked out the window as well, shuffling her feet. "But you are an important guest to me, Lord Conde."

Registering her words, he turned back to look at her, the right side of his face turning up into a half-smile.

"Please, Your Majesty. Call me Louis. Enough with the formalities."

"Then you must call me Mary."

"Well, Mary, what do you say we step out onto the balcony for a few minutes? It's getting rather stuffy and loud, and to be honest, I'm having trouble breathing."

_"Antoine… You can't be serious."_

She laughed, her voice like the beautiful tinkling of wind chimes.

"Why, Louis, that's the best idea you've had all night."

_"Oh, but I am. You will seduce the Queen of France."_


End file.
